Yoga

It's November 1 and 2017 is going to be here before we know it. I feel like a broken record, but where has the time gone? This year has passed so quickly and I know the holiday season will be no different. Every year our yoga studio hosts a 62 Day Challenge from November 1-January [...]

I have been teaching yoga at 6 a.m. for over 5 years now. It's an early wake up call but a gift to be able to begin my day in such a positive and intentional way. One of the things that I message to my early morning yoga classes most often is, "you choose your [...]

On Sunday afternoon I taught three classes in a row. A double header of HIIT and Total Strength at the Y for my once-a-month rotation followed immediately by hot yoga. These Sundays are four hour marathons of teaching but always leave me feeling energized and remembering why I fell in love with group ex and [...]

Today's yoga flow is sponsored by UP4 Probiotics. Since completing my Whole30 earlier this year, I have become much more aware of gut health and how it impacts the rest of my body. As you've probably noticed, I've upped my intake of fermented foods (hello sourdough sauerkraut toast!) and I've also started taking probiotics daily. [...]

5:38 a.m. - alarm goes off to teach my 6 a.m. hot yoga class. I was thrilled to wake up and discover that I'd slept through the night without waking up one single time. Note, my late wake up time is thanks to living 3 minutes from the studio. Win, win for early classes! 6 [...]

Last Monday morning I danced my way out of bed and onto my yoga mat at 6 a.m. Fast forward a week and it was a completely different story. I woke up at 3:30 a.m. with terrible cramps and was up until 5:45 a.m. when they finally subsided enough to sleep again. I even took at [...]

I sat down to write my about my Friday favorites and I just couldn't do it and feel good about it. I haven't been able to get last night's events in Nice off my mind all day today. I read the CNN coverage and it was horrific. I'm like, "Really? Again? How? Why?" Paris, San [...]

On the first weekend of our 200-hour yoga teacher training program, we always ask for a show of hands of how many would like to teach after completing the training. It's usually about 50% of the room. Many sign up for teacher training to deepen their practice and increase their knowledge of yoga (and of [...]

Raise your hand if your workouts have taken a turn for the sweatier since the arrival of summer! It's a HOT one here in Charlotte (we're supposed to hit triple digits this week!) and it seems like I'm sweating buckets no matter if I'm at the gym, at the yoga studio or working out outside. Case in [...]

Guess what!? Today is the official International Day of Yoga and as I told my yoga class this morning, it's not just one of those random "National Pancake/Ice Cream/Talk Like A Pirate/Cheese" days. (If you really want a good laugh, check out the National Day Calendar for June. Apparently, today is also National Handshake Day.) The United [...]

I received a couple running related questions from readers last week that I thought would make a great blog post. When I started this blog six years ago I was training for the Marine Corps Marathon and mostly focused on running. Over the years my workout mix has evolved to a blend of strength, running [...]

As I've shared with you many times before, I really enjoy putting together playlists for my yoga classes. Music is such a powerful way to connect engage your students with the experience of class. Since I started using Spotify last summer (I wish I'd have listened to all of your encouragement to make the switch long [...]

One of the exercises that we do in our 200-hour teacher training program is called "The Lie I Give Up." I think it's safe to say that most of us walk around with lies that are just waiting to pop up anytime we are triggered or put in a vulnerable or difficult situation. Most of the [...]

I'm a day late in getting the workout recap to you. I sat down last night to write it and was going to do a high level overview on the Spring Equinox but then inspiration took over and it became its own post. I love it when that happens. :) Friday was spent in the [...]

I took a "mental health afternoon" today because I was going to lose my mind if our house didn't get clean and laundry didn't get done. Do you ever get to that point where nothing else can be done until your surroundings are tidy and clean? I spent most of my morning at the studio [...]

My default travel workout is to throw on a pair of running shoes and hit the road. It's easy, free and a great change of scenery. That said, it can be really fun to try out new classes and gyms if time allows and options are available. Usually when I'm visiting my parents I stick to [...]

We have officially reached the time of year where I embrace the treadmill. Don't get me wrong, I am NOT complaining about temperatures ranging from the 20s-40s when that's balmy for many of you (and I am fondly remembering all those 70 degree runs I had in November and December). What I do find is [...]

This January marks 5 years since I started my 200-hour yoga teacher training! And this year I will be co-leading our studio's 200-hour teacher training, which starts tomorrow! I think I can safely say that while I love all of my many jobs, teaching yoga is the one that lights me up the most and [...]

Yesterday I shared the the 10 most popular posts of 2015 that were actually written in 2015. Today I'm sharing the top 10 posts of 2015 for all-time. These 10 posts got the more views than any other posts on Peanut Butter Runner and 9 of the 10 were not even written this year! For [...]

I wasn't planning on practicing today. I started my day at 6 a.m. teaching yoga, trained a client at Metro after and then had my butt glued to my office chair for eight hours. I was driving back to the gym to train a client at 6 p.m. when I got a text from her [...]

Does anyone else feel a little out of sorts right now? I feel like it's been one big weekend for the last 5 days. We kept calling the days we were gone for Thanksgiving "the weekend" and then got back and it actually was the weekend. One of the biggest perks about this 5 day [...]

I loved my week of workouts this week! I am participating our annual yoga challenge at the studio so it's been pushing me to get to my mat more and the difference it's making in my body is wonderful. I'm feeling really open and really good. The challenge is 62 practices in 62 days or [...]

I have a pretty big announcement today. My second book, The Complete Guide to Yoga Inversions, has been published and is now available to purchase from several major online retailers including Amazon and Barnes & Noble. The intention behind this book was to provide yoga students with a realistic guide to advancing their yoga practice [...]

I am home in Charlotte after spending the last week in Georgia. I think this was the longest I've been away from Charlotte in almost two years. While I appreciated every second of time being with my family, it was so wonderful to see my girls and get a big hug from my fiance after [...]

This was a really great weekend. A perfect balance between restful and energizing as well as downtime and social time. I took myself for a lunch date at Chopt on Friday afternoon while I was out running errands. This was one of their most popular salads, Braised Chicken Tinga. It's a warm topping salad with [...]

I had the honor of spending last weekend leading a retreat with my dear friend Dorie at our fall Core Desire Yoga retreat at Wild Dunes Resort. First and foremost, I would like to thank the weather gods. Going into the weekend we had a 100% chance of rain. We arrived to find this on [...]

4:50 a.m. - wake up 5 minutes before my alarm is set to go off. I love this. I feel a million times better when I wake up naturally. 5 a.m. - get out of bed and let Zoey out of her crate. We cuddle and hang out while I make some tea. Sullie is [...]

Last weekend I had the honor of spending four days practicing ashtanga with David Williams. We hosted him at Y2 for a four-day workshop focused on "Ashtanga Yoga for the Rest of Your Life." If you're wondering what Ashtanga yoga is, read this. We can all thank David Williams for being a pioneer of yoga [...]

This is the third and final post in my series “Why and what I love about Charlotte” for the #DesignCharlotte campaign. The Marriott Charlotte City Center Hotel is getting a big facelift and as part of this transformation, they are asking guests and Charlotte residents to show off our amazing city and what we love [...]

Hey everyone! I have a quick weekly workout post for you now and then I'll be back later with a weekend recap. It was a quiet week on the workout front because things have been anything but quiet on the life and work front. All good stuff though. And as I say on repeat, part [...]

Hi everyone. It's been a rainy Sunday here which has been really cozy and good for productivity. For today's fitness-themed post I thought I would talk about why you should sign up for yoga workshops. Oftentimes, students (especially those in their first 1-2 years of practice) don't sign up for workshops because they think they [...]

A few weeks ago I received a question from a reader about exercise guilt. "Do you ever feel exercise guilt when you are unable to exercise for a few days? I ran my first 1/2 marathon 2 weeks ago and I have not been as active as I was prior to my race. Any advice, [...]

Last weekend we hosted Beach Yoga Girl at Y2 Yoga. I really enjoy practicing with and learning from out of town teachers and it's even more fun when you get to host them at your studio! If you're not familiar with Beach Yoga Girl her real name is Kerri Verna and she's an "Insta-famous" yogi [...]

Last spring I announced the launch of Core Desire Yoga, a new venture combining two things that I love the most...personal growth and yoga. Even better, I partnered with my friend and fellow yoga teacher Dorie Fusaro to create it. What is Core Desire Yoga? Core Desire Yoga offers weekend workshops and retreats that combine [...]

I'm super pumped to share this week's workout recap with you because for the entire week I felt motivated and challenged. I got out of my rut this week and actually attended a boot camp, participated in some circuit training classes at the gym and ran a 5K race. I've said this so many times [...]

Happy Father's Day and Happy International Yoga Day! It's also the Summer Solstice, which marks the official first day of summer. Today over 10,000 people will practice yoga in Times Square in New York City in honor of the solstice and International Yoga Day. The event is taking place from 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. [...]

Good morning! I sure do wish that every Sunday morning looked like this...coffee with a view! My beach routine goes a little like...sleep in, coffee and computer on the balcony, smoothie, more coffee and computer, workout, shower, beach. It's pretty amazing. As most of you know if you've been reading any length of time, I [...]

Hope you all had a lovely weekend! Here are a few quick snapshots from mine. (Whoa, hey! Here I am!) I kicked off my Friday evening by meeting a friend to run. We ended up going six miles in 80+ degree weather and humidity so I was a sweaty, red faced mess at the end [...]

I had a breakthrough with my yoga practice last week. They always seem to come just when I need them most...and always after I've let go of something that's weighing on me. You might remember that around this time last year, I finally got into a pose that I had been working on for upwards [...]

Hello and happy long weekend! This long weekend is especially sweet for me because I have drastically cut back on my weekend teaching schedule. I went from teaching 3-4 classes every weekend to one on Saturdays at 11:15 a.m. It feels pretty amazing not to have to teach at 7:45 a.m. on Saturday and 9 [...]

Hope it's been a great weekend for everyone! It's been a very sweaty weekend over here. I taught two hot yoga classes on Saturday, took a hot yoga class and met a friend for a run with temps in the 80s (I had those lovely salt crystals on my face after the run). And today [...]

Happy Mother's Day! I am SO missing my mom today. I haven't seen her since Christmas...way too long! Luckily I have a long visit planned next month. Counting down the days! I had fun reaching out to all of my mommy friends today and wishing them a happy Mother's Day...many are celebrating their first Mother's [...]

Hi, hi. Hope it's been a great Monday. I announced a month or so ago that I've partnered with my friend Dorie to create Core Desire Yoga. We are offering weekend workshops that combine Danielle LaPorte's The Desire Map with yoga. You can read all about it on our website. I'm still on a high [...]

Hi... I didn't forget about you but at least I left you with a really amazing recipe. It's been great to hear that some of you have already tried and loved the pad thai recipe. It's one of my faves! But about the last few days...I led my first Core Desire Yoga weekend intensive with [...]

Quick Sunday night check in with the weekly workout recap. I did a little of everything (as usual) this week but nothing crazy. As I've mentioned about a million times before, I don't plan my workouts. I just monitor how I feel day-to-day and do whatever it is that fits best with my schedule and [...]

Hi! Let's talk about some housekeeping items and then I'll get to TWO new playlists and weekly workouts. 1) Kind Giveaway Winner The winner is #33, Claire. I emailed you! 2) Redirects to the App Store on Mobile OMG. I'm losing my mind. Some of you have shared that you're being redirected to the App [...]

I don't even know where to begin. This week was exhilarating and exhausting. I taught more yoga classes in a single week than I ever have since I started teaching. In an average week I teach around 10 classes. I would say my sweet spot is 7-8. This week I taught 14. For some of [...]

Hope it was a good Monday! It's spring break here in Charlotte so I am teaching a LOT of yoga this week due to sub needs...14 hot classes...it's going to be a long, sweaty week. :) I have received quite a few reader questions lately that I thought would be beneficial and fun to answer [...]

Hi! I hope everyone had a very happy Easter! I had a good day but I always really miss my parents and my grandmother on this day. I've taught yoga on Easter morning for the last four years in a row. As I shared recently, I've been feeling ready to give up Sunday morning "yoga [...]

Hey, hey! The remainder of my weekend consisted of more yoga, sushi, lots of work and some puppy play time. I went out for sushi on Saturday night and it was blissful. Sushi Guru has THE BEST SUSHI in all of Charlotte. If you live here...go! After sushi I convinced myself that Zoey still fit [...]

I'm Jen and I'm a personal trainer, yoga teacher and the author of Ultimate Plank Fitness and The Complete Guide to Yoga Inversions. I live in Charlotte, NC and share daily updates about food, fitness, yoga and life with two golden retrievers! You can reach me at jen@peanutbutterrunner.com.